My Salvation
by echelon65
Summary: HinataNaruto fic. The pressure of life and her family has caught up with Hinata. In an attempt to end it all she unexpectedly finds someone saving her. How will this change both their lives? I suck at summaries, but hopefully the story is a lot better
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own not will ever own any part of Naruto. I'm just one out of the hundreds of avid fans out there who like writing about it.

I would love to get reviews from everyone who's reading this since that's the only way I'll get encouraged to write more. This is my second attempt to write a Naruto+Hinata fanfic since I didn't like my first one. Sorry for those who were waiting for any updates. Hopefully this is a better start.

I'm writing to keep my mind off those horrible Naruto arc episodes that they're airing right now.

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**Chapter 1: Salvation**

The cold wind slapped through her face, the moonlight illuminating her figure as she ran through the forest. She ran as fast as her legs  
could carry her. She ran away not from anyone in particular but from her life that came crumbling down on top of her. She felt  
suffocated and she couldn't take it anymore. As she passed through the woods, a few sobs came out of her lips and finally her tears had made her vision blur, making the night look like shadows of black and blue. Finally she came upon a clearing and the trees disappeared, replaced by a small patch of grassland. Here Hinata stopped and stared into the night sky. The only sound she heard was of the leaves being gently moved by the wind. She closed her eyes and she could hear the sound of water and realized that she was on top of a cliff. Down below was the river she had used to practice some of her jutsus in a few months ago. She stared down at the river where it reflected the light of the stars above. In that one moment she calm and content, with nothing and no one to worry about. She took one step and then another, until her feet had reached the edge of the cliff. Leaning closer and closer she fell and waited for the river to consume her. She let the river carry her and closed her eyes as darkness descended.

_Let me disappear. I don't want this life anymore._

It was particularly cold that night and Naruto decided to gather some firewood in hopes to keep the chill out of his apartment that night. The winter season had been worse that year compared to the last and everyone in Konoha had stayed indoors to keep warm. Unfortunately for him he did not have the luxury of having a heater in his home so he had to rely on his fireplace every night for the past month. However that meant going out into the woods every couple of days. He had meant to do this earlier in the day when the sun was still out but his training with Kakashi and Jiraiya had kept him from doing anything else.

"Those bastards! It's their fault I'm out here in the fucking cold this late!" Naruto grumbled under his breath, his frown deepening as he crouched down to pick up another branch.

The snap of a branch caught his attention and he eyed his surroundings carefully, ready to defend himself in case of an attack. Just then he caught sight of pale skin passing through the trees. Following the figure, he realized that it was a woman's figure. As she came into a clearing Naruto finally recognized the her.

"Hinata?" he whispered, more to himself than to her.

_What is she doing out here in the middle of the night?_

Confusion and concern filled his eyes as he saw her tears. Deciding to approach her he was about to call out to her when his eyed widened in disbelief. Shock filled his whole body as he witnessed her falling into the river below.

"Hinata!" he shouted, his arms extending to her descending figure.

In a split second he jumped in after her. He hadn't realized how cold the water would be. His breath caught and he shook it off, trying to locate where Hinata was. He caught the sight of her head bobbing up only to disappear into the river a second later.

"Hinata! Hang on, I'm coming!" he screamed to her, trying desperately to catch her attention.

He swam as fast as he could to her. When he lost sight of her, he dived trying to feel his way around.

_Damn it! I can't see a damn thing!_

Suddenly his arm felt flesh and grabbed onto it. He surfaced and his left arm to hold onto her while using the other to swim against the current. Using the last of his strength he reached out onto the shore and dragged both himself and her on the safe ground. Catching his breath he looked at Hinata and realized she was unconscious.

_Kami! Please be alive!_ He thought as he searched for a pulse. He found one and leaned his face close to her and felt her breathing weakly. Picking her up into his arms he ran as fast as he could back to the village. His first thought was to bring her into the clinic where a medical nin could look at her properly but realized that Hinata might get even worse since the clinic might be too far a distance for her to go on. He decided the next best thing is to take her into his apartment because it was closer. That way she could get warm sooner and get out of her wet clothes. The thought of Hinata without clothes on caused Naruto to blush slightly.

_Ahh! I can't think about that at a time like this!_

Reaching his place he gently placed her on the ground and proceeded to light up the fireplace using the firewood he had collected just before the incident had happened. As the fire began to warm the room up he walked over to his closet and took out one of his pajamas. He kneeled down to where Hinata lay still unconscious. Taking a deep breath he started to change her into his pajamas, trying to keep his mind on the task of keeping her warm and away from the other details that was clearly there to see. He started to quietly talk to himself to keep his mind from having any thoughts he shouldn't be having.

(gulp) "Okay Naruto, this isn't so hard," he said to himself.

As he finished, he carefully carried her onto his bed and looked at her face. Earlier, he had been too busy trying to get her to safety that he hadn't thought much about other things. Now, in the quiet night he looked down at the sleeping form of his friend and wondered what exactly had happened for her to resort to this. He would have never thought that she would willingly harm herself until he saw it with his very own eyes. Looking at her now her face looked tired and sad and Naruto wondered if she had always felt that way. He had seen her smile and laugh with her friends in the past and presumed that nothing was wrong, but now that he thought about it he knew very little about Hinata other than that she's the heir to the Hyuuga clan and that she was a kind and giving person. Beyond that she was a mystery to him. Taking one of the pillows from the bed he placed it on the floor and laid down.

"Who are you Hinata?" he whispered into the dark room before sleep claimed his worn out body.

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How was that? Please review! I can't emphasize enough what it means to me to have people review what I've written. You don't have to like it, but please be nice or I'll kick your ass :p 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own nor will ever own any part of Naruto. I'm just one out of the hundreds of avid fans out there who like writing about it.

Yay, I got reviews! Thank you. Anyway, as for the timeline it takes place a few years after Sasuke fought with Naruto and left Konoha. Naruto is about 17 yrs old so he's become a lot stronger and a better ninja. Hinata is about the same age, just a few months younger. I guess you can figure out how old everyone else is based on that. Tsudane is still the Hokage. Naruto and all his friends are pretty much chunins. Hope that helps.

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**Chapter 2: My Salvation**

The warmth of the sunlight passing through the window caused Hinata to slowly open her eyes. She felt disoriented and tried to recall what had happened. Bits and pieces came back of her being in the forest last night and then her being at the edge of a cliff. Then realization of what happened next made her gasp.

_That's right. I jumped into the river. But shouldn't I be dead? There's no way I could have survived that fall. _

Looking around she realized that she was lying on someone's bed. She looked down on herself to see that she was wearing someone else's clothes and that her own ninja clothes lay hung near a dimming fireplace. She got up and out of the bed but after taking one step forward she suddenly tripped on something heavy.

"Itai…" Hinata groaned from the floor. She turned her head around to see what caused her to trip and fall down. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Naruto!"

Naruto groaned from his slumber and opened his eyes to the source of the sound. He quickly sat up when he saw Hinata halfway sprawled on the floor and on his legs.

"Hinata, you're awake!" he exclaimed as he help her up.

"uh…hai," she said confusion evident on her face.

The both of them sat on the bed and an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Naruto cleared his throat and spoke first.

"Um…so, are you feeling alright now? That was one heck of a fall you took last night. Good thing I was there or who knows what would have happened to you," he said trying to start the conversation.

He looked at her waiting for a response. Her head was cast down and her hair covered her face, preventing him from reading any expression and feeling that she might have had at the moment.

"Why did you do it?" she whispered.

"Hinata—" he began but was cut off by her.

She looked him straight in the eyes and Naruto was taken aback by the anger that filled them.

"You had no business interfering! Why did you have to rescue me, why the hell did you have to be there!"

Although she wasn't yelling at him, her voice held all the anger that she had felt the previous night. She was angry that she had lost the opportunity to finally escape everything that she was so tired of dealing with. She also felt angry and ashamed that Naruto of all people had to be the one to know what had happened last night. The person she had admired the most had seen her at her weakest moment and that was something she just couldn't stand at the moment on top of the problems she's had with her family.

These thoughts were broken as she felt him reach out to her and placed his hand on her shoulders. He was looking at her so intently that she found it hard to look away.

"Look Hinata, I'm not sorry that I pulled you out of that river and I never will be. I don't know exactly what happened that led you to do something so drastic that you were willing to hurt yourself and I won't ask you to explain it unless you want to. I'm just sorry that I wasn't a good enough friend to notice that you weren't okay and that I couldn't do anything to help you out."

Hinata didn't know what to say. Those words were the last thing that she expected to come out of his mouth. She was ready to hear him reprimand her and asking her what the hell she was thinking. She wasn't ready just yet to tell him everything.

"Arigatou Naruto," she said gratefully, giving him a faint smile.

He looked at her and was glad that she was still able to smile, even if there was still that sadness that surrounded her. Looking at her at that moment he realized how much she had matured. Her hair had grown past her shoulders in a layered effect that framed her pale face. He had to admit that Hinata had grown into a beautiful woman. With her dark long hair, pale skin, and Byakugan eyes it was hard for anyone not to turn and look at her. Naruto found it funny that she had never noticed the glances people had given her and if he was convinced that she did everything possible not to put any attention on herself.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" Hinata asked after a few seconds of silence passed between them as he just stared at her as if in a daze.

Naruto shook himself from his reverie and blushed at just being caught staring at her.

"Huh? Eh…hehehe. Nothing, it's nothing. I think I just need some breakfast to keep my energy up. Wanna join me?" he said trying to change the subject.

"Okay, I'd love too. What's for breakfast?"

Naruto opened his cupboard and took out two packages and waved it in the air.

"Ramen!" he said happily.

Hinata laughed. It was amazing to her how he could eat the same thing almost everyday for as long as she had known him and never get tired of it. She looked forward to trying some herself since she hadn't eaten one for a while. Her family was known to be one of the most powerful and wealthiest within the village and as such she had always been surrounded by the finer things in life. As far as she can recall, she had never seen instant ramen around her house. The only times she had tried them was whenever she ate with her friends and teammates after a hard day of training.

"It's ready!" Naruto called out after pouring some boiling water into the cup of noodles.

He set them down on the table and Hinata joined him.

"Itadakimasu!" the pair said in unison and proceeded to enjoy the morning's meal.

On a rooftop a short distance away, a figure carefully observed the two unaware of his presence. He stood up, satisfied that he had seen enough, and left to decide what he should do with this information.

oooooooooo

"Where the hell are those two!" a very annoyed Kiba said to his friend Choji.

Choji just shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat his snack. Akamaru lay down beside him taking a nap.

"Tsudane-sama said that she has a mission for the four of us and to come to her office as seen as we're all together. They should be here but I can't find either of those guys," Kiba said in frustration.

"Relax, you know Naruto. He probably probably woke up late, especially since he's been training so hard to be a jonin. As for Hinata, well actually I don't know why she should be late. She's always on time. The two of them probably got together and hooked up last night," Choji said jokingly laughing.

Kiba stiffened at this remark. Although he knew his friend was joking Kiba still had a slight crush on Hinata although he never said anything to her about it.

"Shut up will you!"

Just then Akamaru lifted his head and looked down the road. A few seconds later Kiba and Choji saw Naruto and Hinata hurriedly walking towards them. Although Kiba thought it was a bit odd that the two of them would appear at the same time he had no time to wonder dully about it since Tsudane was expecting them.

"What took you so long! Come on, Tsudane-sama wants to talk to the four of us right now about a mission."

Naruto's face lit up at that last word.

"Yes, finally! I've been waiting for days to go to another mission. It's about time," Naruto said loudly.

"Quit your yappin and come on idiot," Kiba said to him, already leading the way.

"Whad'ya call me, dog breath!" Naruto retorted back.

As the two argued, Hinata and Choji quietly followed close behind choosing wisely to stay away from their feuding friends.

When the four finally reached their destination Tsudane was sitting behind her desk. Hinata was the first one to greet her.

"Good morning Hokage-sama," she bowed respectfully.

Naruto greeted her next.

"How's it going Tsudane-obachan!"

A vein popped into Tsudane's forhead at the mention of the brat calling her old. She had hoped to get through the day without Naruto getting on her nerves but alas it was not to be. She ignored the comment and instead took out a file and opened it in front of them.

"His name is Nakamura Akira. He is the heir to a very powerful clan south of Konoha. He is attending to some business matters and lately there have been a few attacks against him. In order to keep his parents safe from harm, he decided that it was best for him to live in a different place until the danger subsides. The four of you will accompany him and protect him. His family has been a great asset to our village and has been our allies for a few years now. Your mission will start in two days. That's all, you may go."

The four left and headed outside. Naruto couldn't help keep his excitement for himself.

"Can you believe it! I have a feeling this is gonna be one hell of a mission. I'm gonna kick some ass and finally use some of the new techniques that I've been practicing."

Kiba turned to his friend and smirked.

"Don't get so cocky baka. We're in this mission too. Besides if anyone is gonna being kicking some asses, it's going to be me and Akamaru, right buddy?" he said and his dog friend barked in agreement walking beside him since he grew too big to be carried on the shoulder anymore.

"As long as we have a stack full of snacks with us in the mission I'll be up for anything," Choji added as he ate a bag of chips.

Hinata looked at her three companions and enjoyed their company in silence. She wished that times would always be like this for her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she and the others noticed her cousin Neji approaching them. With an air of formality he stopped in front of Hinata.

"May I speak with you for a moment Hinata-san," he said with an air of formality.

Hinata looked at her cousin and noticed the slight tension on his shoulders.

"Of course," she said and turning her head to her friends she said, "Excuse me, I'll only be a moment."

With that she followed Neji who had already started walking ahead of her. He stopped in an area far away enough from everyone else's ears. With his back still turned to her he spoke.

"I know what you tried to do to yourself last night."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock from that one single statement. Her fear of her family, especially her father, knowing what she had tried to do made her stomach wrench.

"How..." she began, her sentence going unfinished.

"I followed you when you ran away from the house last night after your father spoke with you. I had assumed that the news your father had given you would startle you and therefore I decided to follow you out of concern."

Hinata's eyes screwed up in suspicion.

"Did you know?"

Neji hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth.

"Yes. Your father had discussed the situation with me last week and wanted my opinion on the matter. I agreed that it was for the best."

Anger quickly spread throughout Hinata's entire body from hearing this.

"You knew! You've known for a week about father's plan for an arranged marriage with some stranger and you didn't even warn me!"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I was afraid that if I did you would have taken it badly. But after last night, I know now that I was wrong to do so," he said regretfully.

"You and father are the same, you care nothing but upholding the clan's name and prestige. How dare the both of you assume that you can control me like some kind of puppet. I'm tired of it all," she said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Hinata, don't be foolish. Your father decided that having you marry someone from a powerful clan of his choosing is the best. I believe that your father will choose someone strong, wise, and will care for you. He sees this as a way to make the clan stronger."

"That's still possible without having me be married off. There are other ways for our clan to become stronger. What use is it for me to be called the heir if all I will become is a wife to someone?"

"You must accept this Hinata. That is life. I don't believe it will be that bad."

Hinata's heart fell at those words. Although she cared for her cousin and she knew he did as well she realized that they will never agree about certain things in life. He would always accept the rules unconditionally without question while she, for the first time in her life, found it difficult to do so. Although she cared about her clan deeply and do what was best for them, she wanted to do it on her own terms.

"I will always do what's best for the clan, but I will do it my own way. Please tell father that I am sorry but I cannot agree to his decision. I only ask one thing from you, if you care for me for even a little. Please don't tell father about what I tried to do last night."

With that she turned to leave without even waiting for a response. Neji stood there, unsure as of how to tell this news to his uncle. Neji was surprised at seeing this side of Hinata. He was sure that once he had talked to her she would have understood and obeyed without question. He watched as she walked away and he knew that somehow she had changed.

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End file.
